Much Respect!

I would like to commend @dollarvigilante for not being offended, that I'm aware of, by my comic "Jeff Berwick Interviews Dan & Ned", and for not resorting to playing the victim card and flagging a post for someone poking fun or bringing to light something he said or did.

Tone Vays, you have my respect as well for actually laughing and re-tweeting my comic, "Tone Vays Interviews Dan & Ned". As do @dan & @ned for not being offended by either of them, even though I really didn't poke fun at them, I did touch upon some rather contentious material being spread by those who do not support Steemit's model.

Censorship ... It's Bad

When people or platforms censor, demonize or attempt to discredit a content creator, their ability to post counter-arguments, bring wrongdoings to the forefront of the public's attention and/or simply make a joke about a person or a situation, they are attempting to take away an individuals opinion and therefore hinder their freedom of speech.

The individuals above have shown that they will not stoop to these dictator or diva like levels to silence their critics. They have gained my respect for being able to publicly swallow what may have been a bitter pill. It's hard to face criticism, tough questions and sometimes even humor when it's directed at our idiosyncrasies we ourselves are uncomfortable with, especially when it's done in the public spotlight.

But ... Muh Butthurt!

People have the right to be offended just as much as others have the right to express their opinions about those individuals or their actions. However, when a grand pooh-bah begins a propaganda campaign to unjustifiably label someone else's content as "abuse", "harassment", "stalking" or otherwise in a duplicitous attempt to discredit or mute an individual for simply expressing their opinion, documenting historical events, shedding light on misdeeds or simply poking fun at something or someone, that's when censorship usually rears it's ugly head.

Thankfully, despite the efforts of wannabe dictators or colossal diva's, we have blockchain technology to ensure that no matter how hard an oppressive prima donna tries to remove someone else's opinion from the public's view, that content is immutable!

For that reason, I would like to thank Dan & Ned for creating a platform where we no longer have to live in fear of our thoughts and/or opinions being suppressed, whether they are expressed with words, artwork, humor or otherwise.

Thank you!

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“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.”

― Salman Rushdie

“Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.”

― Laurie Halse Anderson

“If there's one American belief I hold above all others, it's that those who would set themselves up in judgment on matters of what is "right" and what is "best" should be given no rest; that they should have to defend their behavior most stringently."

― Stephen King

“The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion. In the long run it will create a generation incapable of appreciating the difference between independence of thought and subservience.”

― Henry Steele Commager

Disclaimer : I own a license to use all images in this post.